..Wow what happened. Its just a kids movie, with no story, cheaper animation and just a poorer movie all around. I would have thought after a successful movie they would have continued that trend...This is just a story thrown together for 5 year olds...scratch that,...3 year olds..because 5 year olds can follow a story.. ..And were they eating pokemon ice cream cones...As in the actual pokemon itself....they have never shown people eating pokemon before...but when pokemon is ice cream i really complain too much

Being a life-time fan of Pokémon, games, anime, everything, I've seen all 21 movies, some being more exciting than others. You'd think after so many yearly installments, the formula would get tired. Well, it pains me to say: It has, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of enjoyable elements left to witness. For the most part, The Power of Us is an enormous improvement over I Choose You, which I thought was a very unfocused slog, as if multiple episodes of a TV show were slammed together into one incomprehensible narrative. Also what the heck was up with Pikachu TALKING to Ash. It came out of nowhere. Anyways, I digress. The Power of Us returns to the older Pokémon movie roots by focusing on single flowing story while showcasing the latest Legendary or Mythical Pokémon, which has some relevance to the plot. This is a concept that's been done to death with these movies, but at least it's easy to follow, and there's a handful of delightful characters with their own flaws to overcome.

Yes, I actually found some of these characters to be quite engaging and the film doesn't just abandon their efforts to improve themselves in favor of eye-popping spectacle (which previous Pokémon films have sadly done),it maintains focus, and for me that earns the film big points. I found Risa to be the most endearing supporting character, being a former athlete who is afraid to run again after sustaining an injury in the past, but with the support of her new Pokémon partner Eevee, she is able to fight this fear in order to help Ash save the city. Risa's arc was an interesting departure from the Pokémon movie formula because her dilemma felt very relatable, like out of a slice-of-life that Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children) would direct. The other character I really liked was Callahan. Some may see him as unlikable due to his insincere methods of impressing his niece, but there's one element that always debunks this perception for me: Love. He just loves his niece and wants to make her happy. Deny it all you want, we've all done petty things out of love before. This doesn't automatically make Callahan a bad guy. It was sweet to see this insecure man realize his faults and become a hero, all for his cute niece. I also really connected with Toren. I could totally sympathize with his type of awkward anxiety, it's something I've personally suffered with my entire life as an introvert and it caused me many hardships. It was revitalizing to see him gradually take his stand.

All that being said, some of the dialogue choices in this film were excessively hoaky and non-sensical. Some (said mostly by Ash) even made me cringe and sometimes face palm, as if I'm uttering "Come on, did he really just say that?". This is a recurring issue English dub of all anime suffers from and it really holds characters back from being memorable. I understand this is a kid's film first, and certainly I don't blame the voice actors whatsoever, they all did a brilliant job matching their vocals with the type of characters they're voicing and I hope their careers expand in the near future, but I do wish the English version of this film received a much stronger rewrite. Whatever's holding that type of progress back behind closed doors needs to get itself together and listen to feedback. I'm not the only one thinking this. Read forums, read YouTube comments. Clearly something needs to be improved and shouldn't require a neatly written appeal.

The visuals are breathtaking, and have been since the first Pokémon movie. I absolutely adore the designs of the forests and cities in the Pokémon world. They are so colorful and brimming with life, I just want to escape reality and reside in this universe with no worries on my back whatsoever. However, I do have one criticism of the art. There are some moments where CGI is implemented, and not only does it look awkward, but the use of it is very random and unbalanced. In a single shot, there will be some humans and Pokémon that are traditionally drawn, while some are 3D models, and it doesn't look right. It's very noticeable, redundant overall. The occasional 3D environments are understandable. They might not be rendered perfectly, but they're a lot less distracting than 3D people and Pokémon that show up out of the blue alongside flatter models. I just wanted to point out some lack of stylistic unity. If it isn't disturbing anybody else, I'll be amazed.

I think The Power of Us is one of the better Pokémon movies. The story (while not entirely original) is easy enough to follow, the characters have tons of likability and are very plucky and relatable (despite some problematic dialogue),and overall the film is just pleasing to eye (just watch out for those 3D models). A quick, colorful, and slightly endearing adventure that is sure to keep children and some of the more older fans of Pokémon entertained. If it's playing at a theater near you, I say get a ticket, but if you feel you'll be underwhelmed, I'm sure it'll play on Disney XD in a month or two. It's up to you!

It takes a while to realise that "The Power of Us" is a Pokémon film. The franchise's first installment not to be directed by Kunihiko Yuyama feels markedly different with its broad cast of characters and fresh new art style. For such a tired series, this is a step in the right direction. The problem is that it isn't big enough.

To a minute extent, "The Power of Us" seems to include aspects of the second Pokémon film, "The Power of One." As its title suggests, the new film boasts a spectrum of protagonists. Among these are Ash and Pikachu, a fraudulent uncle and his family, a shy scientist, a major and his daughter, and a girl sent out to catch an Eevee while wearing rather tight pants (forgive me, but she even squats in the thing; it is really distracting!)

The film's first half is dedicated to setting up these characters and a seemingly central conflict. I say 'seemingly,' because the legendary Pokémon stalking the hills is merely a red herring. The film's real conflict is appears past the film's halfway point, and is created by our heroes themselves.

This is a real shame. The first half felt so fresh and full of good intentions, but the storytelling falters from the midpoint on. The usual climax beats are followed once again, with a Pokémon fight based around misconception -- even more redundant than usual.

When this has been talked out and the MacGuffin has been sufficiently twiddled with, the town is saved and the characters go their seperate ways. As much as I admire the attempt to give most of them a character arc, it feels like their stories never really come together, which in turn devaluates the set-up. The writing is certainly better than before, but not good enough yet.

The animation budget seems to have decreased somewhat, but the film actually looks better than its predecessors because of its new art style. The audiovisual overload of Yuyama's later work has been replaced with a more pencil-like style, vibrant character design, and a nice usage of shadows. The CGI is distractingly bad, but that has always been the case in these films. The appointment of a new director has at least visually paid off.

Despite the narrative problems that "The Power of Us" suffers from, it is a step in the right direction; superior to "I Choose You!" which was in its turn greatly superior to everything since the "Diamond and Pearl" era. It gives hope that "Pokémon" is moving on from its troubled past to a better, more original film franchise. Let's hope that godawful-looking "Mewtwo"-remake doesn't immediately shatter it.

A final note: I would advise watching this film's subbed version for two reasons: (1) The English voice-acting is far from top notch; (2) this is the final Pokémon film narrated by Unshô Ishizuka. The industry veteran died August 13, 2018 at age 67, after a decade-spanning career including roles in "Legend of the Galactic Heroes," "Berserk," "Cowboy Bebop," "Dragon Ball," "One Piece," "Naruto," and "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood." He will be sorely missed.